Abstract
Online evidence suggests that there has been an increase in interest of using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones during land-based marine recreational fishing. In the absence of reliable monitoring programs, this study used unconventional publicly available online monitoring methodologies to estimate the growing interest, global extent, catch composition and governance of this practice. Results indicated a 357% spike in interest during 2016 primarily in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. From an ecological perspective, many species targeted by drone fishers are vulnerable to overexploitation, while released fishes may experience heightened stress and mortality. From a social perspective, the ethics of drone fishing are being increasingly questioned by many recreational anglers and we forecast the potential for increased conflict with other beach users. In terms of governance, no resource use legislation specifically directed at recreational drone fishing was found. These findings suggest that drone fishing warrants prioritised research and management consideration.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank specific members of the South Africa shore based recreational fishing community for approaching certain co-authors on this manuscript regarding their specific experience regarding the use of drones on South African beaches. We would also like to thank the various members of online social media groups who have started online conversations and attracted our interest in the topic and its potential social and ecological implications. Furthermore, we would like to thank the numerous commercial drone and aviation pilots that were approach and asked about their legal knowledge regarding the use of drones in South Africa.
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Winkler, A.C., Butler, E.C., Attwood, C.G. et al. The emergence of marine recreational drone fishing: Regional trends and emerging concerns. Ambio 51, 638–651 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01578-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01578-y